A review by whpltab
All American Boys by Brendan Kiely, Jason Reynolds

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

All American Boys is a powerful book about a black boy named Rashad who is beaten nearly to death by a police officer who suspected he was stealing, simply from the way he looked. Quinn is a classmate of Rashad’s, an “All-American boy”. He witnessed Rashad getting beaten up by the cop, who just happened to be a family friend of his, and was like an older brother to him. Unsure how to deal with this, Quinn decides to just ignore it and pretend he didn’t see anything, but he is unable to when it becomes all anyone at school can talk about.

As Rashad heals in the hospital, he’s unaware of all the students in his school rising up in defense of him and all others who suffered like him because they looked different. Quinn realizes that in this situation, there is no such thing as being neutral.<

The author of All American Boys shows how discrimination isn’t all black and white, and how it’s not always a conscious choice.

Rashad’s dad’s experiences as a cop are an example of what society’s biases can do to you, even if you’ve never felt like any race is more than or less than another.

All American Boys is a book for all ages, and is guaranteed to teach a life lesson along the way.